LONGMONT -- Supporters of the new Colorado law that allows state residents to get in-state college and university tuition rates, even if they're here without legal permission, gathered here Thursday to celebrate the opportunities they say that ASSET bill will provide.

The Longmont event, at the 321 Main St. drop-in center for students enrolled in the GOAL Academy, a Colorado online charter high school, featured three area lawmakers who voted for the measure that Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law in April: Sen. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, and Rep. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette.

Hailey Sarver, 7, feeds cake to her brother Isaac Sarver, 1, while her sister Abby Sarver, 9, also has cake after a news conference at GOAL Academy, 321 Main St., on Thursday.
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LEWIS GEYER
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Bedecked in a symbolic cap and gown was Victor Galvan, a 22-year-old Longmont resident who said his parents brought him to this country when he was 8 months old and who said he's someone who stands to benefit from the in-state tuition opportunity.

"This has been a huge fight for me since I was in high school," said Galvan, a 2009 graduate of Denver's North High School who said he paid $11,000 in out-of-state tuition charges last year for two semesters at the Community College of Denver.

Galvan, currently a part-time student at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said that with financial aid and in-state tuition, his college expenses to be a full-time student in the coming academic year might total a more affordable $3,000 to $4,000.

The new law grants in-state tuition for Colorado high school graduate regardless of their immigration status. To qualify, students must sign an affidavit saying they're seeking or will seek legal status in the United States.

The ASSET bill -- short for Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow -- "really sends a message to kids and families across the state that they've got a fighting chance to make a future for themselves and their families," Singer said.

Jones said the in-state tuition rate gives qualified students "a chance to go to college who have worked hard and applied themselves and have taken responsibility for their behavior."

Said Jesus Altamirano, a Denver-based regional field coordinator for the National Council of La Raza: "This will benefit Colorado because Coloradans can continue to fulfill their dreams."

The Longmont event was one of four Thursday celebrations of the ASSET bill and part of an effort to distribute information to eligible students. Others were scheduled for Aurora, Colorado Springs and Westminster.

Sponsors of the events, in addition to La Raza and the GOAL Academy, included the Scholars to Leaders Academy, Together Colorado and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. Staff and board members from El Comite also were present at the Longmont celebration.